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It has been a whirlwind of different emotions following the retirement announcement of polarizing umpire Angel Hernandez. The 62-year-old made the decision after coming to terms on a financial agreement with the MLB, drawing an end to his over 30-year career in the majors.
Many fans were calling for the removal of Angel Hernandez from handling umpiring duties, but few expected the retirement announcement to be happy at this point of the season. After it was decided, many fans and former players lauded the news that Hernandez would no longer be behind the home plate.
"Angel Hernandez is retiring from MLB There wasn't a SINGLE compliment given to this man when he announced his retirement #PMSLive" - @PatMcAfeeShow
Even though Hernandez will no longer be calling baseball games in the MLB, this will not put an end to blown calls. There's still an ongoing debate regarding the future of MLB umpires and the potential use of robots or some sort of technology to make strikezone calls.
It indicates that there are still umpires who could become the next Angel Hernandez. Popular baseball commentator and social media influencer 'Jomboy' Jimmy O'Brien, has stated his nominee for the next worst umpire in the MLB on a recent episode of his show Talkin' Baseball.
"It would be CB Bucknor," Jomboy said as his choice for the new face for bad MLB umpiring. "He's got a bad zone, his arguments entitled and stubborn and about him," he continued, defending his choice for CB Bucknor as his pick.
"The new face of bad umpiring" - @TalkinBaseball_
It will be a dubious title for an umpire to have, though, as Jomboy also mentioned that it might be impossible to replace Hernandez. It's unlikely that many casual fans can name a single umpire aside from Angel Hernandez.
Angel Hernandez was at the forefront of many iconic incidents during his career
In the wake of Hernandez's retirement decision, dozens of clips of the former umpire circulated on social media. The infamous ump found himself in the middle of many explosive freakouts from frustrated coaches and players, with the most notorious being Kyle Schwarber.
The Philadelphia Phillies slugger completely lost on it on Hernandez after a blown call, going into a full tirade. Even though Hernandez instantly ejected Schwarber, the All-Star gave the umpire his money's worth by cursing and motioning the strikezone over home plate. The moment is one that will live on in history.
